Politicians appear to have a "misplaced comfort" in Galway's economy at a time of creeping job losses, a leading business representative has warned.
Almost 700 jobs have gone in the city over the past year and more are under threat, Dr Chris Coughlan, chair of Galway Chamber of Commerce's large industries group, has said.
He has called for a taskforce that would lobby for direct investment and try to redress the imbalance in Government spending between the east and west coasts.
Last month some 250 job cuts were confirmed at one of the city's major multinational employers, American Power Conversion, and some 40 job losses were announced in the past few days with the closure of Lionbridge's Galway office.
"Fifty jobs went at Respironics, 50 at McGraw Hill, with both companies closing down; we had 100 jobs at Cambridge Diagnostics, 130 at Crown, 40 at Siebel/Oracle and up to 20 at the Galway Clinic," Dr Coughlan said.
"It may be that 700 is a conservative total," he added.
He said the apparent "silence" of national and local politicians on the issue was startling and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) did not have an office in Galway any more, indicating a "downgrading of focus" on the city.
Recent provisional census figures showed Galway was now the State's third-biggest city, and yet it was suffering from lack of investment in infrastructure, including public transport.
"Galway was an add-on in the Government's Transport 21 policy, and nothing has happened since it was earmarked as a gateway in the national spatial strategy," he said. "Yet they are building special roads for the Ryder Cup in Leinster."
A taskforce led with the help of Galway Chamber of Commerce required joint commitment from national and local politicians, State agencies and authorities, he said. "There hasn't been any significant direct investment in Galway in a long time, and even tourism is being subsumed into Fáilte Ireland. There is no urgency to deliver on road and rail, including the Western Rail Corridor, and it is a very worrying trend."
